NEWBERRY — The Newberry College football team has the second-most honorees on this year’s Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference football teams released by the conference Tuesday.
Newberry has 10 total honorees (four first team, six second team) to rank behind only preseason favorites Lenoir-Rhyne. Newberry was predicted to finish third in the league by the head coaches in Monday’s preseason poll release.
Representing Newberry College on the first team are offensive lineman Stephen Nance (Rock Hill), defensive lineman Alstevis Squirewell (Great Falls), linebacker Taylor McDonnell (Bluffton) and punter Kyle Clark (Beaufort).
Newberry’s contingent on the second team includes running back Romelo Doctor (Summerville), offensive lineman Hayden Wilks (Chesterfield), tight end Zach Edmunds (Springfield, Va.), long snapper Andrew Smith (Savannah, Ga.), defensive lineman Jalen Hunter (Seneca) and defensive back Arnez Gray (Greenwood).
Nance, a rising senior from Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, was noted as one of the league’s top linemen in 2014, providing excellent blocking in both the passing and running phases of Newberry’s multiple offense. Nance started every game for the Wolves and earned second team all-SAC honors in 2014.
Squirewell, a rising senior from Great Falls High School, was a first team all-SAC honoree in 2014 and also earned second team all-Super Region II honors from the Beyond Sports Network. He was Newberry’s second-leading tackler with 66 total stops on the year.
He finished second in the SAC with 16.5 tackles for loss and tied for sixth in the league with 4.5 sacks. His 42 solo stops ranked seventh in the conference. He had a season high of 11 tackles in the home games against Lenoir-Rhyne and Carson-Newman, forcing a fumble against the Bears and notching two sacks against the Eagles.
McDonnell, a rising senior from Bluffton High School, was a first team all-SAC honoree and third team all-Super Region II pick by the Beyond Sports Network. He finished third on the team with 64 total tackles. He also had 13.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown.
His 37 solo stops ranked in the top 15 in the conference. McDonnell had a season high of 10 tackles against Catawba with three tackles for loss in that game as well as the Wingate game.
Clark, a rising senior from Beaufort High School, was a first team all-SAC selection in both 2013 and 2014 and earned ECAC Division II All-Star honors last year. He was named DAKTRONICS second team all-Southeast Region in 2013 and 2014 and earned third team all-region honors from the Beyond Sports Network in 2014.
He led the league and earned the SAC Statistical Championship with a 39.3 yards per punt average on 54 punts. His 64-yard punt against Lenoir-Rhyne was the longest punt in the conference this season. Clark had seven punts over 50 yards and 30 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yardline, while no other punter in the Super Region had more than 22 punts inside the opponents’ 20.
Doctor, a rising junior from Ashley Ridge High School in Summerville, averaged 5.4 yards per carry as a sophomore with a team-best five rushing touchdowns for 447 total rushing yards. He had 103 rushing yards on nine carries with two touchdowns at Brevard. He also racked up 102 rushing yards against Wingate. Including his freshman year, he has 793 rushing yards on 145 carries for an average of 5.5 yards per carry with 10 career touchdowns.
Wilks, a rising senior from Chesterfield High School, is one of the most consistent players on the offensive line. His durability and tenacity have been a strength for the Wolves in the last two years, as he has started in 22 of Newberry’s 23 games in that span. He has the most starts of any returning offensive player this season.
Edmunds, a rising senior from Springfield, Va., and graduate of Hargrave Military Academy, has been a constant at the tight end position for Newberry for the last two years. In various roles as a blocker and receiver, Edmunds rarely comes off the field. In 2014, he had nine catches for 100 yards with a pair of touchdowns against Limestone. He is also expected to feature in numerous special teams packages.
Smith, a rising senior from the Saint Andrew’s School in Savannah, Ga., was the second team all-SAC long snapper in 2014. He did a great job handling all long snaps, also showing great speed downfield on punt coverage after the snap.
Hunter, a rising senior from Seneca High School, has the fifth-most tackles among Newberry returners from a defensive tackle position. He had 37 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks as a junior. In his sophomore season of 2013 he had 47 stops with three tackles for loss and a sack, including 13 tackles in the playoff game at Carson-Newman.
Gray, a rising senior from Emerald High School in Greenwood, was a second team all-SAC defensive back in 2014 as a junior. From his safety position, he finished sixth on the team and first among secondary players with 46 tackles in 2014. He also had two interceptions and three other pass breakups, ranking him in the top 10 in the conference in INTs. He had a season-high of eight tackles against Lenoir-Rhyne and forced a fumble in the Tusculum game.